1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a search apparatus of a device on a network.
2. Related Background Art
As a conventional method of efficiently finding and utilizing various resources (printer, server, scanner, and the like) on a network, a method called directory service has been provided. The directory service is a so-called telephone directory regarding the network to store various information. As a concrete example of a directory system, Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) is exemplified. The definition of the LDAP is described in RFC 1777 issued by IETF. By using this directory service, for example, to search the device connected to the network, the device information (network address, and the like) which can be utilized on the network can be obtained.
In the above-described conventional example, however, for example, when a network printer is searched, during the searching, various attributes such as the presence/absence of a staple function or a double-sided print support have to be inputted for each searching.
Moreover, regarding the display of a search result, only a part of the device information is simply displayed in characters, and there is a problem that it cannot be seen at a glance whether a desired device is found or not.
Furthermore, depending on a network environment for use, or a search condition to be inputted, a plurality of devices are sometimes displayed as the search result. In this case, in order to restrict the result, the-detailed search condition needs to be further added, and the input of the detailed search condition for each search imposes excessive burdens such as operation troubles and the requirement for detailed knowledge on the device to a user.